Car-floor-door-operating mechanism.



` No. 825,581. PATENTED JULY 10, 1906.

A. CAMPBELL.

OAR FLOOR DOOR OPERATING MBOHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.9.1906.

m 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATRNTRD JULY 10, 1906.

A. CAMPBELL. OAR FLOOR DOOR OPERATING MRORANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.9. 1906.

2 SHEETS-*SHEET z` ARGYLE CAMPBELL', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-'FILOOR-A-DOOR-PERATING NIECHANISNI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 9, 1906. Serial No. 310,815.

Patented July 10,1906.

Be it known that I, ARGYLE CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, Improvement in Car-Floor-Door-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to car-floor-door-operating mechanism, and is a modication of the invention shown, described, and broadly claimed in my prior application, Serial No. 308,048,151@ March 26, 1906.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel form of mechanism by which a door may be hinged at two opposite sides upon two independent o erating' mechanisms and operated from eitlher side about the hinge on the opposite operating mechanism so as to tilt 2Ol t e door in either of two desired opposite directions. v

M' invention consists in a novel form of mec anism capable of .accomplishing these obj ects which can be easil and cheaply made and installed, which is efficient in o eration, and is not readily liableto get out o order.

' 4More in detail, my invention consists in the use of two parallel shafts at the edges of and preferably clear of the swinging edge of .each

.door to be operated, `there being adjacent to each door on each crank-shaft a pair of crankarms connected with a common crank-pin, -which slides backward and forward in a slot in a block upon the under side of the door, referably extending outside the edge of the oor, sothat if either crank-shaftis rotated while the other shaft remains at rest the door is tilted by the moving crank-shaftabout the crankpin of the opposite door .as a hinge. By this construction when shafts extending longitudinally of the car are used I am able to dump load, as desired, at either the center of the track or at the side of the track.

My invention further consists in details of construction whichwill be hereinaftermore full described and claimed.

tially in section,.of a car having the device of my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View of one-half of a car, showing the details of myinvention when the floor-door is closed. Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, showing in full lines the position of the door when the outside operating mechanhave invented a certain new and useful igure 1 is a longitudinal side view, par-- ism has been manipulated to tilt the door to discharge load at the side of the car and showing in dotted lines the position which the door assumes when the inside operating mechanism has been manipulated to tilt the door` to discharge load at the center of the car or track. Fig. 4 is a detail. of a supplemental locking mechanism.v

In the drawings I have shown my device as applied to a car of the hopper type; but this feat-ure is not essential to my invention, as the mechanism may be applied to any other type In t e' of car with load-carrying floor-doors. particular car here shown the load-carrying iopper 10 is supported upon an underframe consisting of a central glrder 11, with a plurality of cross .bearers or holsters 12 extendngtherefrom crosswise of the car. The particular construction of this underframe is no part of my invention. In this hopper at one side of the central girder, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and between a pair of cross-bearers 412. is a rectangular opening defined b the lines 15, 16, 17, and 18, through which oad is discharged out of the hopper. This load-discharging opening is normally closed by a load-carrying floor-door 20, unsupported adjacent to the floor of the car except by two operating mechanisms, which will now be described.

This door just described is` only one of several on the same side of the central girder operated by a single set of shafts, and in a complete car another` set of shafts and doors are placed along the car on the opposite side of the central girder from the door 'here shownl Adjacent to the longitudinal center gird'er of the car I secure to the cross members of the underframe by any suitable hangers,

`such as 22, a longitudinal shaft 23, having between the pair of cross-bearers adjacent toseen in Fig.

,Y load which is in flanges of the castings 28, heretofore referred to. The castingsv 28 are made -of such a length and the slots 30 are of such length that Ywhen the shaft 23 is rotated from the position of Fig. 2 to the dotted-line position of Fig. 3 the crank-shaft 26 will Inox sin said slot sufciently to tilt the door from tile fullline position of Fig. 2 to the dotted-line position of Fig. 3. As the length of the crankpin 26 is less than the length of the floordoor 20, the door cannot swing down between the crank-arms, and I therefore in order to obtain the opening desired,-as described, eX- tend the blocks 28outside the inner edge of the floor-door, as shown.

Upon hangers40 or other suitable supports upon the outer ends of the cross-bearers of the underframe I journal another shaft 43,

parallel to the shaft 23, heretofore described,A

the same having crank-arms 45 and' a cornmon connecting crank-pin 46, exactly duplicating the parts 25 and 26, heretofore described. On the outer edge of the car-door, adjacent the crank-pin 46, are castings 48, having slots 50 containing the crank-pin46, exactly duplicating the castings 23 With the slot 30, heretofore described.

On the crank-pin 46 are rollers 51, traveling upon Banged tracks 53, which are flanges of the casting 48 and identical with the tracks 33, heretofore described.

On the outer end of each shaft 23 and 43 is a ratchet-wheel 55, locked by a pawl 46, the one onshaft 23 being a right-handed one ada ted to prevent clockwise motion of the sha t 23 when viewed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, While the pawl on shaft 43 is a left-handed one or adapted to prevent counter-clockwise motion of the shaft 43 when viewed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

On each shaft 23 and 43 there is a sprocket- Wheel connected by a chain 61 to a shaft 62 and hand-Wheel 63, correspondingto that shown in Fig. 5 of my said prior application, each of said mechanisms lbeing designed to operate the. particular shaft to which it is attached. These operating mechanisms do not form any part of my invention, and any other operating mechanism may be substituted Without departing from my invention.

All ef the arts heretofore described are so proportion and arranged that when all the parts are in normal position they` appear as respective ratchet-Wheels and pawls heretofore described, thereby holdingthe door in normal closed esition.

hen now t e operator desires to dump a the hopper l0, resting upon the iicor-deor 2G at the center of the car or track, he leaves shaft 43 in stationary osition and releasing the pawl 56, contro ling shaft 23, takes held trolling shaft 23 and the position of Fig. 2

of the hand-wheel-conrotates that shaft from to the -dotted-line position of Fig. 3, in which position the load slides off from the door toward the center, of the track. When the load has thus been discharged, the operator takes hold of the hand- Wheel-operating shaft 23 and rotates it in the opposite direction, parts from the dotted-line position of Fig. 3 to the full-line osition of Fig. 2, the paWl 56 clicking over t e ratchet-Wheel 55 on shaft, 23, thereby protecting the operator against backward motion of the shaft during .the raisingv operation, and nally locking, the shaft in the position of Fig. 2.

load which is upon the door 20 at the side of the track, he releases the pawl 56., controlling tion, and taking hold of the hand-'wheel-eontrolling shaft 43, rotates it from the of Fig. 2 'to the full-line position of ig. 3,. in

off at the side of the car-track. W hen this has been accomplished, theo erator takes -hold of the hand-Wheel control ng the shaft,

2', the shafts being held vby their j rotates it in the opposite direction fre-m the full-line position of Fig. 3 back to the dottedline position of Fig. 2,'the pawl 56, controlling shaft 43,`clicking over the'ratchet-Wheel on that shaft, and. nally locking the shaft 43 in normal positicn. y

It v'will be noted that each shaft 23 and 43 is located entirely clear of the swinging edge the door may swing entirely past its center to the lower positions named. In order to perblocks 28 and 48 extend some little distance beyond the edge of the door, as heretofore described, ,and it is therefore necessary that the slots 30 and 5() extend into said extended portions of said' castings. This construction gives the crank-shaft and crank-arms which of the door a very powerful leverage.upon the door to close it and enable eXtra-Wide doors to be used Without interferingjwith the operating mechanism. y

This mechanism can be used as V'operating means for a door hinged only on one side of the door, and claim 7 is intended te cover such a construction In Fig. 4 I provide additional locking means when the door does not close quite j tight by rounding out the ends ofthe slots 30 or 50 in the curved line 68.

Having thus described my invention, what ,desire to secure by Letclaim as new, and ters Patent, 1s`

1. In a ear, in ecinbination with a frame, a

load-retaining car-body, a load-carrying-lcor When now the operator desires to dumr i of the door to which it is adjacent, so that.

mit of each shaft operating the doorl as de-V scribed, it is necessary that the castings or thereby returning the the shaft 43, leaving shaft 23 in locked posiosition I which position the load upon the door slides TOO are being used to operate the particular `edge ITS y load-retaining car-body, a ,load-carrying-floor door normally closing a load-discharging opening in the body,l two independent shafts adjacent to opposite sides of the door, each,

shaft having a crank-arm carrying a crankpin adapted to move backward and forward u on the under side of the door, a block upon tde under side of the door adjacent to the path of travel of each crankpin alongthe door, there being an elongate slot in each block adapted to have its crank-pin-travel therein7 as described, mechanism for lnormally locking eachvs'haft in stationar" po-V sition, and mechanism for independent y rotating either shaft about the stationary crank-pin of the opposite shaft.

3. In a car in combination with a frame, a load-retaining car-body, a load-carrying-floor e door normally closing a load-discharging opening in the body, two independent shafts adjacent to opposite sides. of the door, each shaft having a crank-arm carrying a crankpin, adapted to move backward and forward upon the under side of the door, a block for each crank-pin secured upon the under side of the door extending beyondthe edge of the door, there being kan elongated slot in each block extending'into the extension portion thereof, in which the crank-pin is adapted to travel backward and forward, mechanism for normally locking each shaft in stationary position, and mechanism for independently rotating either shaft about the stationary crank-pin of the opposite shaft.

4. In a car, in combination with an underframe consistin of a central girder and cross members, a loa -carrying-floor door between a pair of cross members at one'side of the central girder, occupying less space than the distance between the central girder and the side of the car, a pair of longitudinal shafts mounted upon the cross members of the undei-frame at each'side of the door, oneshaft Vnear the central girder and one shaft near the side of the car, a pair of crank-pins upon each shaft adjacent to one edge of the door, a cominon crank-pin connecting said crankarms adapted to be moved backward and forward on the under side of the door means for holding said crank-pin in enga ement with the 4under side of the door in al positions during the operation of the shaft, means for independently locking both shafts, and independent mechanism for rotatin either shaft to tilt the door about the locke crankthe edge of the door adjacent to the operated shaft. e

5. In 'a car in combination with an underframe consisting of a central girder and cross members, a load-carrying-floor door between pin-of the other shaft todischarge loadfrom a pair of cross members at one side of the central girder occupying less space than the distance between the central Girder and the side of the car, apair of longitudinal shafts mounted upon the cross members of the underframe at each side of the door, one shaft near the central girder and one shaft near the side of the car, a pair of crank-pins upon each shaft adjacent to one edge ofthe door, a common crank-pin connecting said crankarms adapted to be moved backward and forward `on the vunder side of the door, a block upon the under side of the door adja cent to each crank-pin having an elongated slot in which said crank-pin is adapted to A v'travel backward and forward as described,

lcrank-pin ofthe other shaft to discharge 'load from the. edge of the door adjacent to the operating-shaft.

6. In a car in combination with an ,underframe consisting of a central girder and cross members, a load-Carr 'ng-iloor door between a pair of cross mem ers at one side of the central girder occupying less space than the distance between the central girder and the side ,of the car, a pair of longitudinal shafts mounted upon the cross membersof the underframe at each side of the door, one shaft near the central girder and one shaft near the side of the car, a pair of crank-arms upon each shaft adjacent to the one edge of the door, a common crank-pin connecting said crank-arms adapted to be moved backward and forward on the under side of the door, a block upon the under side of each door extending outside of the edge thereof adjacent to each crank-pin, there being an elongated slot in each block extending into the extension portion thereof in which each crank-pin is adapted to move 1|)ackward and vforward as described, means for independfor said door at one of its e ges, a block upon,l

the opposite edge ext-endin outside said edge, an elongated: slot in sai block extending into .said extension portion of the block, i; shaft adjacent to the said block and clear of the swinging edge of the door, a crank-arm on seid` shaft,a crank-.pin on. seid crank-arm enteringy andv adapted :to be moved back- Ward and forward in said slot, as described.

` 8. In anar in combination Withfa, frame and hinged door adapted toA retain a load, a, shaft pivotally mounted adjacent to a swing- :Ing free edge of the door, a crank-arm and l crankfpin on seid shaft, the crank-pin extending into an elongated slot on the under side ofthe door, and an enlarged portion 68 at the end of the slot Where the crank-pin normally rests in stationary position adapted to assist in looking the crank-pin in normal' position, as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto sub- 15 scribed my name in the presence of two WitneSSSS.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL.

W'itnesses: K

DWIGHT B. CHEEVER, HOWARD M. Cox. 

